The Uranian System

The Uranian System is distinguished from other systems by
the use of all of the following general characteristics:

• The use of the movable dial
• The Meridian House System
• Planetary Pictures
• Solar Arc Directions
• Incorporation of the TransNeptunian “Planets” into the horoscope.

The competent Uranian astrologer is also a competent traditional astrologer,
and uses the techniques of each system to supplement the other. This chapter
will give an overview of the features unique to the Uranian System and a description
of techniques particular to the Uranian System. (In Europe, this system is still
referred to as the system of the Hamburg School.)

The 90° Dial (and its associated chart),
in its basic concept, divides a circle into three equal arc-segments with all Cardinal
signs superimposed in one segment, all Fixed signs superimposed in another segment,
and all Mutable signs superimposed in the remaining segment. See figure 1. Each segment
is divided into 30 major parts, representing the 30 degrees that each sign holds.

Since each segment has thirty degrees, the complete circle represents ninety degrees;
thus, the name "90° Dial." Just like an engineer’s slide rule, the 90° Dial, in its professional form,
is a precision device used for measurement and calculation. See figure 2 for an example of the 30°
Cardinal Sign segment. See figure 3 for the precision the 90° Dial provides for measurement and
calculation.

What one finds using the 90° Dial is that all conjunctions, squares, and oppositions appear
to be in the same place. For example, 3° Aries and 7° Cancer would appear close to each other on
the 90° Dial in the Cardinal segment, while 17° Gemini and 18° Virgo would appear close to each other
in the Mutable segment at 77° and 78° respectively. In like manner, 3° Aries and 3° Cancer and 3°
Libra are at 3° of the Cardinal section. Across the dial, at 18° of the Fixed segment, their semi-square
and sesquiquadrate are easily visible.

The 90° Dial is sometimes used as an aspectarian for a traditional look at a horoscope that has
been drawn in the 90° format. Once the arrow of the dial is pointing at a planet, any planet that
appears at the dial’s 30° mark is easily seen to be at either a sextile, semi-sextile, trine, or
inconjunct aspect to the planet at the arrow. By referring to the traditional horoscope, the astrologer
determines which aspect is there.

Unique to the Uranian System is the 22°30' aspect (one-half of a semi-square; one-sixteenth of the
circle). Just as the 90° Dial instantly shows all aspects of a circle cut into eight parts, it also
shows the points cutting the octile in half, giving the 22°30', 67°30', 112°30', and 157°30'
relationships. With the circle cut into 16 parts, the powerful 16th harmonic is revealed very easily.

The concept of midpoints is well understood. Through years of experience, the significance and
meanings of midpoint combinations have been characterized and described by various authors. Astrologers
have discovered that there is a combined strength at the point between two horoscope planets and that
the significance of this strength depends on the function of the two planets themselves. For example,
the significance of the Sun/Venus midpoint differs from the significance of the Mars/Pluto midpoint
because the natures of the planets involved are different.

The easiest way to find the place of a midpoint is by using a movable dial. The 360° Dial shows the
actual place; the 90° Dial shows its actual place plus all the hard aspects to it. Let me take you
through the concept of equations, as they are at the core of Uranian measurement systems. By definition,
two planets involved in a midpoint are equidistant from the midpoint. If there happens to be a planet
at that midpoint, the shorthand notation for this combination is A/B=C, where A/B is the midpoint of
the two planets that, in this example, is occupied by the planet C.

So, if the notation is A/B=C

This really means that A + B = C
2

In all equations, one can do anything one wants to one side of the
equal sign, as long as one does the same (equal) to the other side of the equal sign.
In order to do away with the fraction, we can multiply each side of the equation by two,
resulting in: A + B = 2C, or
A + B = C + C

Again, using the same rule, we can subtract C from each side, resulting in A + B - C = C

What if the midpoint of A + B were not occupied by C? Unique to the Uranian System
is the investigation of this midpoint axis when there is no occupant of the midpoint.
Here is born the concept of “planetary pictures.” A planetary picture is a combination
of three or more zodiacal elements around a common axis. The meanings of each of these
many possible combinations are well known to the Uranian astrologer. These combinations were
first published in the United States by Hans Niggemann and reflect the technology, views, and
interests of the World War I era. I have modernized many of these definitions to reflect the
current technologies and interests of the world, and they are presented later in this chapter.

As an example of equation-manipulation using the dial, let’s suppose that in a given horoscope,
the midpoint of A + B is the same us the midpoint of C + D. This could come about on the 90° Dial
when two planets ten degrees apart share the same midpoint with two planets twenty degrees apart.
As an illustration see figure 4: the Sun is at 20° Aries and the Moon is at 10° Cancer (both Cardinal
signs, of course, read in the same third of the dial). The actual midpoint is at 0° Gemini, but
appears to be at 15° of the Cardinal segment on the 90° Dial, diametrically across the dial from 0°
of the Mutables.

Let us further suppose that Venus is at 25° Aries and Mars is at 5° Capricorn.
The actual midpoint of Venus and Mars is at 0° Virgo, but appears to be at 15° of the
Cardinal segment on the 90° Dial.

Both sets of midpoints share a common axis, and this presents a specific planetary
picture for the hypothetical horoscope. Note also that the resultant 5° arc opening between
the Sun and Venus is the same as the arc opening between the Moon and Mars, on the 90° Dial.

In shorthand notation, the preceding example can be expressed as Su/Mo = Ve/Ma

which really means Su + Mo = Ve + Ma
2
2

which can also be expressed asSu + Mo = Ve + Ma

Returning to the rule of an equation, we can subtract Venus from both sides,
resulting in the Planetary Picture Su + Mo - Ve = Ma

Similarly, we can subtract Mars from both sides ofSu + Mo = Ve + Ma

to obtain the Planetary PictureSu + Mo - Ma = Ve

To the Uranian astrologer, these two planetary pictures have different meanings.